Forget the space race; the actual race one needs to be in, is to grab the coveted 1-of-1 New Balance 550. The only pair in the world, it’s got Netflix and Sotheby’s together to celebrate the release of Adam McKay’s new movie, Don’t Look Up. What’s literally out-of-the-world is that these shoes are made with fragments of pallasite meteorite spotted in the dry bed of the river Hekandue in Russia. To create an incredible pair, the collaborators roped in Manchester-based sneaker customizer Matt Burgess of MattB Customs. The white/grey New Balance 550 flaunts its typical “N” logo and a leather side panel. However, this version is embedded with fragments of the Seymchan meteorite cut using a high-pressure water jet.
The sneakers that also flaunt metallic lace locks with latticework pay tribute to Jennifer Lawrence’s character, Kate Dibiasky, an astronomy grad student in the film. The lucky owner will be taking home a brand-new ultra-rare New Balance sneaker along with an ultra-old 4.5 billion years old meteorite that was formed in the core of a comet or asteroid.
This special edition Dibiasky 550 comprises 34 fragments of gleaming olivine and peridot. It will be offered for $13,300, with all proceeds benefitting WWF to reduce human impact on the environment. Trust Netflix to leave no stone or meteorite unturned to promote their movies. The “Dibiasky” New Balance 550 will drop on Sothebys.com at 12 PM EST / 5 PM GMT on December 17.
[Available at: Sotheby’s]
